Towards Truth and Reconciliation: A Learning Resource Guide

Introduction

The federal government marked the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30, 2021. This statutory day of reflection honours recovered and surviving Indigenous children and adults of residential schools who were forcibly removed from their homes. The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation also signals a whole-of-government commitment to the ongoing recognition and reparation of traumas inflicted on Indigenous, their families, and communities.¹

140 federally run Indian Residential Schools operated in Canada from 1831 to 1996.² The recovery of stolen Indigenous children and adults from these schools as well as the oral histories and living testimonies of Survivors demonstrate the historical and present-day impacts of colonialism in Canada.³ All members of the Defence Team have a responsibility to learn about and challenge the colonial structures and practices of federal departments, including the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces. Of relevance to the Canadian Defence Academy are the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action focussing on integrating Indigenous knowledges and pedagogies into post-secondary institutions and education.⁴ The Calls to Action also request the provision of “education to public servants on the history of Aboriginal peoples, including the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, Indigenous law, and Aboriginal–Crown relations.”⁵

In support of these Calls to Action, the Gender Advisor and Gender Focal Point Network of the Canadian Defence Academy has worked in collaboration with the Information Resource Centre (IRC) and Indigenous Advisor and the Indigenous Technical Network of the Canadian Defence Academy to compile this Learning Resource Guide that offers publications and tools accessible through the Canadian Armed Forces Virtual Library. The Guide was developed to help center and support Indigenous learning and reconciliation within the context of professional military education. It is intended to be a co-constructed reference point of available resources and is intended to be evergreen. As such, suggestions and additions to the document are encouraged and may be forwarded to the IRC.

Essential Reading

National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls

The National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls began in 2016 and released its final report in 2019. It was the result of decades of advocacy by Indigenous women, girls and Two Spirit people. The Inquiry investigated the mass disappearance of Indigenous women and girls and concluded that their disappearances and the inaction of Canada was genocide.

Truth and Reconciliation Commission

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established in 2008. The commission investigated human rights abuses against Indigenous that took place within the Indian Residential School System. In its final report (2015) the Commission released 94 Calls to Action urging all levels of government to change policies and programs to repair harms caused Indian Residential Schools.⁶

United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is an international human rights instrument passed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2007. On June 2021, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act received Royal Assent. This legislation renews the Government of Canada’s relationship with Indigenous.⁷

Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples

The Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (1991) addresses the reparation of relationships among Indigenous, the Government of Canada and Canadian society, particularly in relation to Indigenous advocacy and struggle in the 1980s to early 1990s. A final report was published in 1996.⁸

Special Topics

This document prioritizes Indigenous authors. Resources written by non-Indigenous authors or authors with undeclared Indigeneity at the time of publishing have been added as additional resources for each topic.

Accessing CAF Virtual Library Resources

To access the CAF Virtual Library, register for an account using your forces.gc.ca or ecn.forces.gc.ca email address by visiting this link: Register for a CAF Virtual Library OpenAthens account. After submitting the form, you will receive an activation email.

About the CAF Virtual Library

The CAFVirtual Library , created in 2004, provides access to over 40,000 full-text journals, 14,000 plus ebooks and audiobooks as well as reports. The resources of the CAFVL are selected to support CAF education, training, research and the business lines of the Department of National Defence and CAF as well as CAF operations. The resources of the CAF Virtual Library are available to members of the Canadian Armed Forces and employees of the Department of National Defence directly from the DIN, the CFC Academic network, and the RMC Academic network. Remote access is available to registered users from the Public Internet.

Residential Schools and Reconciliation

Cohen, Robert Z. Canada’s First Nations and Cultural Genocide: Bearing Witness: Genocide and Ethnic Cleansing in the Modern World. New York: Rosen Publishing Group, 2016. [English only]
Cole, Peter. Coyote and Raven Go Canoeing: Coming Home to the Village. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2006. [English only]
Craft, Aimée, and Paulette Regan. Pathways of Reconciliation: Indigenous and Settler Approaches to Implementing the TRC’s Calls to Action. Winnipeg, Manitoba: University of Manitoba Press, 2020. [English only]
Fontaine, Phil, and Aimée Craft. A Knock on the Door: The Essential History of Residential Schools from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Winnipeg, Manitoba: University of Manitoba Press, 2015. [English only]
Good, Michelle. Five Little Indians. Toronto: Harper Perennial, 2020. Five Little Indians. Toronto: Harper Perennial, 2020.   [English only]
Goulet, Henri. Histoire des pensionnats indiens catholiques au Québec : Le rôle déterminant des pères oblats. Les Presses de l'Université de Montréal, 2016. [French only]
Kenny, George. Indians Don’t Cry: Gaawiin Mawisiiwag Anishinaabeg. Winnipeg, Manitoba: University of Manitoba Press, 2014.   [English only]
Mason, Raymond. Spirit of the Grassroots People: Seeking Justice for Indigenous Survivors of Canada's Colonial Education System. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2020. [English only]
McKegney, Sam. Magic Weapons: Aboriginal Writers Remaking Community After Residential School. Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 2007.    [English only]
Milloy, John. A National Crime: The Canadian Government and the Residential School System. Critical Studies in Native History. Winnipeg, Manitoba: University of Manitoba Press, 2017.  [English only]
Minton, Stephen James. Residential Schools and Indigenous Peoples: From Genocide Via Education to the Possibilities for Processes of Truth, Restitution, Reconciliation, and Reclamation. Routledge Research in International and Comparative Education. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2020.  [English only]   
Nadeau, Denise. Unsettling Spirit: A Journey Into Decolonization. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2020. [English only]   
Regan, Paulette. Unsettling the Settler Within: Indian Residential Schools, Truth Telling, and Reconciliation in Canada. Vancouver: University of British Colombia Press, 2010.   [English only]   
Sasakamoose, Fred, and Meg Masters. Call Me Indian: From the Trauma of Residential School to Becoming the NHL's First Treaty Indigenous Player. Toronto: Random House Canada Limited, 2021.  [English only]   
Vowel, Chelsea. Indigenous Writes: A Guide to First Nations, Metis, & Inuit Issues in Canada. Portage & Main Press, 2016. [English only]   
Woolford, Andrew, ed. Did You See Us?: Reunion, Remembrance, and Reclamation at an Urban Indian Residential School. University of Manitoba Press, 2021. [English only]

Residential Schools and Reconciliation: Other Resources

Bousquet, Marie-Pierre. « Êtres libres ou sauvages à civiliser? L’éducation des jeunes Amérindiens dans les pensionnats indiens au Québec, des années 1950 à 1970. » Revue d’histoire de l’enfance «irrégulière» 14 (2012): 162-192. [French only]
Bousquet, Marie-Pierre. « La constitution de la mémoire des pensionnats indiens au Québec: Drame collectif autochtone ou histoire commune? » Recherches amérindiennes au Québec 46, no. 2 (2016): 165-176. [French only]
Bousquet, Marie-Pierre. « Le projet des pensionnats autochtones du Québec. » Traces 55, no. 3 (2017): 21-30. [French only]
Dion, Jacinthe, Jennifer Hains, Amélie Ross, and Delphine Collin-Vézina. « Pensionnats autochtones : Impact intergénérationnel. » Enfances, familles générations 25 (2016). [French only]
Goulet, Henri. Histoire des pensionnats indiens catholiques au Québec : Le rôle déterminant des pères oblats . Les Presses de l'Université de Montréal, 2016. [French only]

Indigenous Theories and Practices

Joseph, Bob. 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act: Helping Canadians Make Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples a Reality. Port Coquitlam, BC: Indigenous Relations Press, 2018. [English only]
Nassif-Gouin, Carine, Pierre Picard, Chantal Levesque, Mélanie Boivin, and Samuel Blain. . «Mieux comprendre la distinction entre les principes d’équité-diversité-inclusion et les approches de décolonisation-réconciliation-autochtonisation au Québec.» Revue possibles 45, no. 1 (2021): 140-150. [French only]

Indigenous Theories and Practices: Additional Resources

Briggs, John. "Indigenous Knowledge: A False Dawn for Development Theory and Practice?" Progress in Development Studies 13, no. 3 (July 2013): 231–43. [English only]
Côté, Isabelle. «Théorie postcoloniale, décolonisation et colonialisme de peuplement : quelques repères pour la recherche en français au Canada.» Cahiers franco-canadiens de l'Ouest 31, no. 1 (2019): 25-42. [French only]
Melançon, Jérôme, Caroline Cantin, Fadila Boutouchent, and Heather Phipps.
«L’autochtonisation pour préparer un avenir commun.» Cahiers franco-canadiens de l'Ouest 31, no. 1 (2019): 1-10. [French only]
Melançon, Jérôme. «L’autochtonisation comme pratique émancipatrice : les communautés francophones devant l’urgence de la réconciliation.» Cahiers franco-canadiens de l'Ouest 31, no. 1 (2019): 43-68. [French only]

Indigenous Sovereignty and Governance

Flamand, Sipi. «La nouvelle gouvernance autochtone : Des communautés jusqu’au fédéral, en passant par les Nations et le provincial.» In Peuples Autochtones et politique au Québec et au Canada: Identités, citoyennetés et cutodétermination, edited by Daniel Salée, 49-56. Presses de l'Université du Québec, 2020. [French only]
Goeman, Mishuana. "From Place to Territories and Back Again: Centering Storied Land in the Discussion of Indigenous Nation-Building." International Journal of Critical Indigenous Studies 1, no. 1 (2008): 23–34. [English only]
Kenny, Carolyn, and Tina Ngaroimata Fraser, eds.Living Indigenous Leadership: Native Narratives on Building Strong Communities. UBC Press, 2012. [English only]
Wilson-Raybould, Jody. From Where I Stand: Rebuilding Indigenous Nations for a Stronger Canada. Vancouver: UBC Press, 2019. [English only]

Indigenous Sovereignty and Governance: Additional Resources

Beaulieu, Alain. «Les pièges de la judiciarisation de l’histoire autochtone.» Revue d'histoire de l'Amérique française 53, no. 4 (2000): 541-551. [French only]
Belanger, Yale D., and Whitney Lackenbauer, eds. Blockades or Breakthroughs?: Aboriginal Peoples Confront the Canadian State. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2015. [English only]
Lavoie, Michel. «Politique sur commande : les effets des commissions d'enquête sur la philosophie publique et la politique indienne au Canada, 1828-1996.» Recherches amérindiennes au Québec 37, no. 1 (2007): 5-23. [French only]
Meyer, William H. "Indigenous Rights, Global Governance, and State Sovereignty." Human Rights Review 13, no. 3 (2012): 327-347. [English only]
Otis, Ghislain. «Territorialité, personnalité et gouvernance autochtone.» Les Cahiers de droit 47, no. 4 (2006): 781-814. [French only]

Indigenous Research Methodologies and Writing

Fraser, Crystal, and Zoe Todd. "Decolonial Sensibilities: Indigenous Research and Engaging with Archives in Contemporary Colonial Canada." L’Internationale (February 2016). [English only]
Hokowhitu, Brendan, Aileen Moreton-Robinson, Linda Tuhiwai-Smith, Chris Andersen, and Steve Larkin, eds. Routledge Handbook of Critical Indigenous Studies. Routledge, 2020. [English only]
MacLeod, Lorisia. "More Than Personal Communication: Templates for Citing Indigenous Elders and Knowledge Keepers." KULA: Knowledge Creation, Dissemination, and Preservation Studies 5, no. 1 (2021): 1-5. [English only]
Ryder, Courtney, Tamara Mackean, Julieann Coombs, Hayley Williams, Kate Hunter, Andrew J. A. Holland, and Rebecca Q. Ivers. "Indigenous Research Methodology: Weaving a Research Interface." International Journal of Social Research Methodology 23, no. 3 (2020): 255-267. [English only]
Tuhiwai Smith, Linda. Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples. London: Zed Books, 2021. [English only]
Tuhiwai Smith, Linda. «La recherche s’aventure en terres indigènes : perspectives Maories sur l’exploration scientifique colonial.» Translated by Samuel Lamontagne and Elvina Le Poul. Jef Klak (April 2021). [French only]
Walter, Maggie, and Michele Suina. "Indigenous Data, Indigenous Methodologies and Indigenous Data Sovereignty." International Journal of Social Research Methodology 22, no. 3 (2019): 233-243. [English only]
Younging, Gregory. Elements of Indigenous Style: A Guide for Writing by and About Indigenous Peoples. Brush Education, 2018. [English only]

Indigenous Pedagogies

Antoine, Asma-na-hi, Rachel Mason, Robert Mason, Sophia Palahicky, and Carmen Rodriguez de France. Pulling Together: A Guide for Indigenization of Post-Secondary Institutions: Curriculum Developers. Victoria, BC: BCcampus Open Publishing. [English only]
Carr-Stewart, Sheila, ed. Knowing the Past, Facing the Future: Indigenous Education in Canada. Vancouver: UBC Press, 2019. [English only]
Lavoie, Constance, Natasha Blanchet-Cohen, and Marco Bacon. «Vers l’autochtonisation : pratiques éducatives inspirantes à l’ère de la réconciliation.» Éducation et francophonie 49, no.1 (2021): 1–13. [French only]
Lowan‐Trudeau, Gregory. "Narrating a Critical Indigenous Pedagogy of Place: A Literary Métissage." Educational Theory 67, no. 4 (2017): 509-525. [English only]
Morcom, Lindsay, and Kate Freeman. "Niinwi-Kiinwa-Kiinwi: Building Non-Indigenous Allies in Education through Indigenous Pedagogy." Canadian Journal of Education 41, no. 3 (2018): 808833. [English only]
Pete, Shauneen. "100 Ways: Indigenizing & Decolonizing Academic Programs." Aboriginal Policy Studies 6, no. 1 (2016): 81-89. [English only]

Indigenous Pedagogies: Additional Resources

Campeau, Diane. «Pédagogie autochtone et pédagogie du lieu : Proposition d’un modèle d’enseignement autochtonisé.» Éducation et francophonie 49, no. 1 (2021): 52-70. [French only]
Gaztambide-Fernández, Rubén A. "Decolonization and the Pedagogy of Solidarity." Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society 1, no. 1 (2012): 41-67. [English only]
Tanaka, Michele T.D. Learning and Teaching Together: Weaving Indigenous Ways of Knowing into Education. UBC Press, 2016. [English only]

Gender, Sexuality, the Family, and Indigeneity

Barker, Joanne, ed. Critically Sovereign: Indigenous Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies. Duke University Press, 2017. [English only]
Borrows, John. "Aboriginal and Treaty Rights and Violence Against Women." Osgoode Hall Law Journal 50, no. 3 (2012-3): 669-736. . [English only]
Cameron, Michelle. "Two-Spirited Aboriginal People: Continuing Cultural Appropriation by Non-Aboriginal Society." Canadian Woman Studies 24, no. 2 (2005): 123-127. [English only]
Hunt, Sarah. An Introduction to the Health of Two-Spirit People: Historical, Contemporary and Emergent Issues. Prince George, BC: National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health, 2016. [English only]
Michel, Viviane. «Femmes Autochtones du Québec : le personnel et le politique à la sauvegarde des droits et du territoire.» In Peuples Autochtones et politique au Québec et au Canada: Identités, citoyennetés et cutodétermination, edited by Daniel Salée, 33-48. Presses de l'Université du Québec, 2020. [French only]

Additional Resources: Gender, Sexuality, the Family, and Indigeneity

Greensmith, Cameron, and Sulaimon Giwa. "Challenging Settler Colonialism in Contemporary Queer Politics: Settler Homonationalism, Pride Toronto, and Two-Spirit Subjectivities." American Indian Culture and Research Journal 37, no. 2 (2013): 129-148. [English only]
Léger, Marie, and Anahi Morales Hudon. «Femmes autochtones en mouvement : fragments de décolonisation.» Recherches féministes 30, no. 1 (2017): 3-13. [French only]
McKegney, Sam. Carrying the Burden of Peace: Reimagining Indigenous Masculinities through Story. University of Arizona Press, 2021. [English only]

Journals

American Indian Law Review (1973-present) [English only]
Canadian Journal of Native Education (1998-2013) [English only]
Canadian Journal of Native Studies (2005-present) [English only]
Cultural Survival Quarterly (2016-present) [English only]
Indigenous Law Journal (2002-present) [English only]
Indigenous Peoples Journal of Law, Culture & Resistance (2004-2020) [English only]
Journal of Aboriginal Health (2004-2012) [English only]
Recherches amérindiennes au Québec (2000-2019) [French only]
Tribal Law Journal (2000-present) [English only]

Database

Indigenous Studies Portal [English only]

Keywords for Searching

“First Nations”
“Indigenous Peoples”
“Native Peoples”
Inuit
Métis
colonialism
decolonization
indigenization
reconciliation
“residential schools”

Tool Kits and Educational Content

The OISE Library maintains a list of 50 freely accessible resources regarding Truth and Reconciliation and Indigenous Education [English only] for educators across the province of Ontario. It includes materials largely created by Indigenous authors, and contains films, mobile apps, websites, curricula and lesson plans.
Indigenous in Schools Web-based Resource Guide[English only] , Ontario Native Education Counselling Association.
Indigenous Information Literacy [English only] , Kwantlen Polytechnic University Library.
Indigenous Peoples: Language Guidelines [English only], University of British Columbia, 2021.
Decolonization Learning Journey. [English only]
Why Acknowledge Territory, Native Lands. [English only]

Podcasts

Residential Schools Podcast Series, The Canadian Encyclopedia.
Stolen: Surviving St. Michael's. [English only]
Truth Before Reconciliation. [English only]
Still Here Still Healing. [English only]
Telling Our Twisted Histories. [English only]
The Secret Life of Canada. [English only]
Unreserved. [English only]

Videos

Residential Schools, National Film Board of Canada.
L'héritage des pensionnats indiens au Québec, First Nations of Quebec and Labrador Health and Social Services Commission, 2014.
My Auntie Survived Residential School. I Need to Gather Her Stories Before She’s Gone [English only], Sarain Fox, 2020.
Reconciliation and Education: Lessons to Remember Before Thinking About, Talking About, and Teaching About Residential Schools and Reconciliation [English only] , Starleigh Grass, 2015.
Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance [English only], National Film Board of Canada, 2009.

Mental Health Support for Indigenous Peoples

If you need someone to talk to, a National Residential School Crisis Line offers emotional support and crisis referral services for residential school Survivors and their families. Call the toll-free Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419. This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Hope for Wellness Help Line also offers support to all Indigenous Peoples. Counsellors are available by phone or online chat. This service is available in English and French, and, upon request, in Cree, Ojibway, and Inuktitut. Call the toll-free Help Line at 1-855-242-3310 or connect to the online chat.

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Date modified:: 2025-02-13